Milo plan

Milo Baptist Church in Ratliff, OK posted a lesson plan for “Always Trust Christ.” It has an outline like the LifeWay plan, but it takes a less expository approach.

I also copied the post since the link above is not persistent.

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
9/23/2007

ALWAYS TRUST CHRIST Matt. 8:1-9:34
KEY VERSE: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. Matt. 8:26
The story is told about a man named Jerry and that he had only asked for two things his whole life: health and protection for his family. "God has always been faithful."
Now, however, Jerry was waiting on a diagnosis that did not look good. His faith had been dependent on a condition that might not be sustained forever. People get sick. Family members have accidents.
This lesson is designed for people who are facing or will face challenging circumstances such as sickness, accident, or a spiritual crisis. It focuses on situations in which Jesus helped people through various crises.
This section of Matthew contains multiple stories of Jesus' power over various challenges in life. That Jesus surmounted them all invites us to trust Him in all circumstances.
After recording the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chronicled three miracles of healing that demonstrated slightly different aspects of Jesus' power. The cleansing of the leper demonstrated Jesus' power over one of the worst maladies of the day.
The healing of the centurion's servant showed Jesus did not need to be physically present to heal. At Capernaum, Jesus cast out demons, thus demonstrating His sovereign power over evil.
A scribe's claim he would follow Jesus wherever He went became the occasion to illustrate the true nature of discipleship. Jesus described conditions that were very difficult and not always subject to miraculous deliverance. True discipleship is defined by trust in Jesus, no matter what the circumstances may be.
The next two miracles, the stilling of the storm and the two men possessed by multiple demons, illustrate Jesus' power over nature itself and over the most extensive and entrenched evil.
Forgiveness of sin is God's work. Thus when Jesus demonstrated He had the ability to forgive the paralytic, in addition to having the ability to heal, He made a highly significant claim. This claim brought the charge of blasphemy against Him that would eventually lead to His crucifixion.
The call of Matthew the tax collector and the fellowship with tax collectors and sinners illustrates Jesus' openness to all people. He wants to help all kinds of people; therefore all kinds of people can come to Him.
The question of fasting illustrates the newness of Jesus' ministry and the joy associated with Him. The healing of the young girl, the woman with an issue of blood , and the blind men again demonstrate Jesus' compassion for people in difficult situations.
The final narrative in this section, that of driving out of the demon, was a further occasion for condemnation by the Pharisees. They accused Jesus of being in league with Satan and their opposition became more firm and deadly.

1. WHEN YOU ARE AILING (Matt. 8:1-3)
1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Leprosy was a devastating illness. In the first century, many forms of skin lesions might have been considered leprosy. The descriptions are so broad that today we know some of the diseases may not have been what we call leprosy. That some people recovered indicates they were not suffering from actual leprosy, for short of a cure from God, no one recovered.
The man in this narrative had not recovered, leading us to assume he had the worst form of the disease. Caused by the tuberculosis bacteria, leprosy leads to a numbing of the extremities and gross, ulcerated deformations.
Fingers, toes, even an entire foot or hand might be lost to the progressive disease. Over a period of 10 years or more, victims of leprosy would die a piece at a time. Their physical suffering would have been extreme.
Worse was the social and religious impact of the disease. The significance of the distinction of clean and unclean is difficult for us to grasp today, but in that society it was of utmost importance. The Jewish people thought being unclean meant one was to be separated from God's people and would be rejected by God.
According to Levitical regulations, a leper had to announce his condition, by crying out "Unclean! Unclean!." A leper was forced to live outside the village, often in a leper colony. To touch a leper, or even be near one, rendered another person unclean. Next to a dead body, a leper was the most unclean object in that society. Indeed, the leper was considered a dead man.
When the leper came and begged Jesus to heal him, Jesus reached out and touched him, even though his skin was covered with the dread disease.
Sin is also an incurable disease-and we all have it Only Christ's healing touch can miraculously take away our sins and restore us to real living. But first, just like the leper, we must realize our inability to cure ourselves and ask for Christ’s saving help.
The law required a healed leper to be examined by the priest. Jesus wanted this man to give his story firsthand to the priest to prove that his leprosy was completely gone so he could be restored to his community.

11. WHEN YOU ARE IN DANGER (Matt. 8: 23-27)
23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And His disciples came to him, and awake him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

The Sea of Galilee is an unusual body of water. It is relatively small (13 miles long, 7 miles wide). But it is 150 feet deep, and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level. Sudden storms can appear over the surrounding mountains with little warning, stirring the water into violent 20 foot waves, The disciples had not foolishly set out in a storm. They had been caught without warning, and their danger was great.
For the word storm, Matthew actually used the Greek word that also means "earthquake." This storm was violent and dangerous. The boat would have easily been lost in the troughs of seas, which might run as high as 20-30 feet.
In the middle of this chaos, Jesus was sleeping. Complete trust in God leads to calm certainty. The disciples looked at the waves and feared for their lives. Jesus looked to the Father and rested. Whose example are you more likely to follow?
Jesus demonstrated power over the destructive forces of nature, which were under the devil’s sway. Such a Person is worthy of worship. Even the winds obey him.
We often encounter storms in our life, when we feel God can't or won't work. When we truly understand who God is, however, we will realize that he controls both the storms of nature and the storm of the troubled heart. Jesus' power that calmed this storm can also help us deal with the problems we face. Jesus is willing to help if only we ask him. We should never discount his power even in terrible trials.

111. WHEN WE NEED FORGIVENESS (Matt. 9:1-8)
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. 2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arise, and departed to his house. 8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power to men.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, which is about midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean. Obviously no boat could have taken Him there.
Instead, this town was Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the sea. The Gospel of Mark clearly identifies this town as the location of this miracle. Capernaum was home to several disciples and apparently served as a home base of Jesus during His ministry around this sea.
After Jesus returned to Capernaum, a group of men brought a paralytic to Jesus for healing. Surprisingly, Jesus declared the man's sins forgiven. Apparently, Jesus had decided that such forgiveness was necessary before the paralytic could be healed. In response to the faith of those who brought this man, Jesus both forgave the man’s sins and healed him. The crowd was amazed at Jesus, with a combination of terror and awe, and they gave glory to God for what He had done.
This miracle caused people to give glory to God because He had delegated such authority to Jesus. His works of healing and forgiving were signs that God’s kingdom was dawning.
We can say that we love God or others, but if we are not taking practical steps to demonstrate that love, our words are empty and meaningless. How well do your actions back up what you say? Jesus action showed that his words were true, he had the power to forgive as well as to heal.
FORGIVENESS OF SIN (Matt 9:1)
Sin is a spiritual barrier between God and humanity preventing the relationship God desires with us. He is holy and cannot receive to Himself that which is unholy. His solution is to forgive sins through the sacrifice of His Son. In both Old and New Testaments one of the words for "forgiveness" literally means "the bearing away of sins." God, through Jesus' sacrifice, takes away our sins when we turn to Him in faith. Forgiveness of sin remains our foremost need, but it is often accepted and then forgotten-as we concern ourselves with other needs such as physical health and protection from danger. While these needs are legitimate, we must always be thankful for forgiveness and the fact that it enables our relationship to God.
SON OF MAN
Matthew uses this term to express the deity of Jesus, the unique Son of God. His references point to some aspect of Jesus' earthly ministry, such as His authority to forgive sins and to interpret the meaning of the Sabbath. Three categories of "Son of Man" sayings in the Gospels are generally recognized: (1) those that present Him in His earthly role, (2) those that highlight His suffering, and (3) those that point to His glory. The background for this title is likely Dan. 7:13-14.